The possibility of achieving direct communication between the dream world and reality continues to fascinate scientists. Researchers from Switzerland, Emma Peters, Luc Kummer, and Daniel Erlacher (the latter of whom is actively involved in this field) have presented another experiment on this topic. They recruited four participants with experience in lucid dreaming—the authors acknowledge that the sample size is small and that this is, of course, a pilot study.
It has long been observed that physical stimuli (sounds, light, tactile sensations) penetrate people’s dreams. The researchers used electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), hypothesizing that it would induce muscle movement and, consequently, lucidity in the participant’s dreams. Participants were required to confirm lucidity using the classic technique of left-to-right eye movements and to count the number of stimulations (the number of stimulations equaled the number of eye movements).
Of the 11 trials that were conducted, five were successful, and six were unsuccessful. The authors consider this a good initial result, noting that EMS could well become a method for two-way communication. Among other well-known experiments in this field that have been published in recent years, they mention REMspace experiments on the development of the Remmyo language, as this is currently the only way to communicate with words, rather than on a “yes/no” basis.
Would you agree to use EMS for lucid dreaming?
The article was published in October 2024 in the International Journal of Dream Research.
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